The horror genre has always loved a potential franchise, and it seems that the Julius Avery-directed “The Pope’s Exorcist” will be no expectation. Tongues have been wagging since its star, Academy Award-winner Russell Crowe, revealed the film was meant to be the first in a trilogy. But he also hinted there could be even more to come.
Producer Jeff Katz has confirmed that “The Pope’s Exorcist 2” is officially greenlit.
“Amorth Nation — I just got the call. It’s officially happening!” Kaz posted on X (formally Twitter). “Gas up your Lambretta – and get ready to ride. ??”
Fans are already demanding more Vespa action and it sounds like we’ll be getting it!
“The Pope’s Exorcist” is based on the life of exorcist Gabriele Amorth, who reportedly performed over 100,000 exorcisms. It tells the story of him investigating the possession of a child, while he was the Vatican’s leading exorcist. During this, he uncovers a conspiracy the Vatican has tried to keep secret.
The film raked in $76.9 million at the box office on a $18 million budget. So Sony and Screen Gems wanting a sequel was kind of a given. Given Amorth’s body of work, this may go even further as a franchise.
More of “The Pope’s Exorcist”?
“And remember, the man that’s based on, Gabriele Amorth, he wrote 12 books,” Crowe points out. “So we have more than enough source material to do one or two more of those films.” If you need more of Russell Crowe doing battles with evil in the meantime, and who doesn’t? “The Exorcism” directed by Joshua John Miller will hit theaters on June 7.
“The Pope’s Exorcist” is currently streaming on Netflix. There is no planned release date for the sequel just yet. But we’ll keep you posted on updates as they become available. You can check out a trailer for the first film below:
